The Anchor Points: 20 Bible Verses I Return To

There is a difference between reading a book and reading The Book.

For me, the Bible acts less like a rulebook and more like an anchor. In moments of high drift—when anxiety spikes, when the path forward is foggy, or when the world feels overwhelmingly loud—these are the lines of code I return to. They stabilize the system.

Here are the 20 verses that I have found most essential, categorized by what they provide.

On Strength & Courage

When the task ahead feels impossible, these verses remind us that our own limited resources are not the end of the story.

1. Joshua 1:9 — "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."
2. Isaiah 40:31 — "But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."
3. 2 Timothy 1:7 — "For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control."
4. Psalm 23:4 — "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."
5. Philippians 4:13 — "I can do all things through him who strengthens me."

On Anxiety & Peace

For the restless mind, these are the antidote to the noise.

6. Philippians 4:6-7 — "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds."
7. Matthew 6:34 — "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."
8. John 14:27 — "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid."
9. Psalm 46:10 — "Be still, and know that I am God."
10. 1 Peter 5:7 — "Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you."

On Wisdom & Direction

When the decision paralysis hits, these verses clarify the priority.

11. Proverbs 3:5-6 — "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."
12. James 1:5 — "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him."
13. Psalm 119:105 — "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."
14. Micah 6:8 — "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"
15. Romans 12:2 — "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

On Identity & Love

The reminder of who we are when the world tries to tell us otherwise.

16. Jeremiah 29:11 — "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."
17. Romans 8:28 — "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."
18. Psalm 139:14 — "I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well."
19. John 3:16 — "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."
20. Lamentations 3:22-23 — "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

Integrating the Code

I don't just read these; I memorize them. When you memorize a truth, it becomes part of your internal operating system. It means that when a crisis hits, you don't have to go looking for the manual—the answer is already running in the background.